Security Council deplores deportation of Palestinians.

• Position: Israel deports four Palestinians from occupied territories

The Security Council on 24 May deplored the deportation by Israel of four Palestinians on 18 May from the occupied territories and called for their safe and immediate return.

In unanimously adopting resolution 694 (1991), the Council declared that Israel's action violated the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, which was applicable to all Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including jerusalem. Israel should refrain from deporting any Palestinian civilian from those territories, it stated.

The Council met at the request of its members belonging to the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries-Cote d' Ivoire, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Yemen, Zaire, Zimbabwe-to "examine the situation created by the recent deportations by Israel of four Palestinians from the occupied territories".

On 20 May, Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar strongly deplored the deportations. He recalled the Council statement on 27 March which, among other things, called on Israel to desist from deporting Palestinians.

Call repeated

In a 9 April report (S/22472), the Secretary-General repeated his belief that a meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in time of war could facilitate discussion of possible measures to ensure the safety and protection of Palestinians in the occupied territories.

By resolution 681 (1990), adopted unanimously on 20 December 1990, the Council asked the SecretaryGeneral, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, to develop further the idea of convening a meeting of the Parties.

On 18 April, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People strongly deplored the intensification of Israel's settlements policy and practice. It asked that Israel cease its settlement activities immediately and accept the de jure applicability of the...